Greenwood Village’s swank new condominium development, The Landmark, was the setting for a reception at which Girl Scouts of Colorado revealed the identities of the Denver Women of Distinction for 2008.
The women, nominated by their peers and chosen for their professional and personal contributions to the community, will receive additional recognition Oct. 22 when the Women of Distinction Dinner takes place at the Marriott City Center. It will be chaired by Marilyn VanDerbur Atler, a Woman of Distinction in 2000, and her daughter, Jennifer Atler, who was honored in 2003.
Marilyn Atler is a former Miss America who has gone on to become an author and motivational speaker; Jennifer is executive director of Invest in Kids.
The 20 honorees are:
Retired dentist Julika Ambrose; Mary Baca, a community leader and mother of 1998 Woman of Distinction Patricia Baca; Pamela Kenney Basey, an accomplished cook who has been active in Project PAVE and other community organizations; Margaret Brown, president of Colorado Business Bank Northeast; Colleen Colarelli, president and chief executive officer of Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver; retired registered nurse Kay S. Daugherty of the Denver Health and Hospital Authority; Raylene Decatur, chief executive officer of Decatur & Co.; Bonnie Downing, vice president/development for Denver Museum of Nature and Science; andDawn Engle, co-founder and executive director of the PeaceJam Foundation.
Also, Lynn Gangone, dean of the University of Denver Women’s College; Irene Ibarra, president and chief executive officer of the Colorado Trust; Frances Jefferson, regional administrator for Region VIII of the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau; attorney Barbara Kelley, a partner at Kamlet Shepherd & Reichert; Mary Rhinehart, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Johns Manville; and Lucinda Sanders, chief executive officer and founder of the National Center for Women and Information Technology.
And, Sandra Scanlon, president of Scanlon Szynskie Group, Inc.; Lisa Snider, executive director of the Colorado Ballet; Teresa Taylor, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Qwest Communications; Lynne Valencia, vice president of community relations for 9News; and Barbara Yondorf, president of Yondorf & Associates.
Being named a Woman of Distinction is “An incredible honor,” Gangone said, and “Girl Scouts is an amazing organization. I credit Girl Scouts for my path to leadership.”
Another honoree, Barbara Kelley, said there is more to the Women of Distinction honor than meets the eye. “There is a real meaning to this. This is an opportunity to get to know (individual) Girl Scouts. I am looking forward to this.”
Since 1997, Girl Scouts has honored 328 women in the Denver area, all of whom share their commitment to the ideals of the Girl Scout program by providing mentoring, career exploration and guidance to Girl Scouts throughout the year.
The Women of Distinction program is a profitable one, having raised more than $2 million for Girl Scouts’ outreach programs. These programs serve thousands of girls who otherwise would not be able to participate in Girl Scouts.
The announcement reception was sponsored by Northern Trust, with members of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 285 of Denver helping to greet guests and distribute flowers to the honorees. In a break with tradition, the reception didn’t include the roasting of Girl Scout s’mores. Instead, guests enjoyed appetizers and desserts from Occasions by Sandy, as well as a Champagne toast to the 2008 Women of Distinction.
For more information on the Women of Distinction program, or to reserve a table for the celebratory dinner, call 303-778-8774.

See pictures from the announcement reception by visiting denverpost.com/seengallery

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.